Leaves and Stones
by Kyoudai Shojin
Summary: My first fanfic. Inspired by a particularly long roleplay, it follows the story of Finn and Shojin, two ninja from different villages brought together through conflict. Second part, Chapter 11 up.
1. Prologue: The Creation of a Shinobi

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters. If I did I would be filthy stinking rich and have no reason to write a fanfic. I do own this story, however. End disclaimer

**Prologue: The Creation of a Shinobi**

Deep in a forest somewhere in the Land of Fire, Orochimaru entered into one of his many bases. He expertly navigated through the corridors until he came upon his favorite room, one that contained many tanks with children in them.

Orochimaru hissed, "How are the two doing?"

A sound ninja turned around and greeted him, "ah, Orochimaru-sama. Very well, they should regain consciousness in a couple more hours. It's incredible that they survived the application of those marks, though. The other 99,998 died within a day. It could only mean that all the genes have mixed together perfectly in them."

Orochimaru smirked. "That simply means we've weeded out the weak ones. The other ones weren't fit to become my body. It seems only these two have the correct combination of genes to become truly strong, withstanding the marks at an age of six months means they'll be extremely powerful in a short amount of time." Orochimaru looked at the two young boys floating in the tank. "We'll begin their training in six months. They need to grow strong, so I can be strong.

5 years later

"Experiment 2,059! I want you to attack those shinobi now!" The Sound ninja in charge barked at the little blue-haired boy. The little boy looked up at him. "But they haven't done anything to me, they're sound ninja too! Why would I want to kill them?" the other boy with red hair raced past him and slaughtered the shinobi with his bare hands. "Because" the boy stated coldheartedly, "it's fun. And it shows off your power. But, you don't like power, do you wimp? It frightens you that you could kill someone so much bigger than you with a mere tap. You-"

"That's enough, 1,289." The ninja gave him a look that could kill" **I **am in charge around here. I will handle disciplining experiment 2,059, and furthermore-"

"It's Shojin."

The ninja stopped talking and blinked at the little boy. "What?"

"My name. It's Shojin." He stated.

The ninja narrowed his eyes at him. "You have no name, only a number. You do not exist as a person, only a container for Lord Orochimaru's great spirit." He smirked coldly "You may not even be chosen. Chances are experiment 1,289 will be." He sighed, "alright, go back to your rooms, tomorrow is the big day."

The next day

Shojin got up early that morning and pulled on his ninja gear. He crept quietly out of his room and into the corridors of the cave that had been his home for almost 6 years. He moved silently, using camouflaging jutsu's when he needed to avoid other Sound ninja. Finally, he reached the outside. He immediately was confused by the sunlight. "wha? What is that? It's so bright… this place… it smells… so nice.." his thoughts were interrupted by the alarm going off in the base "I better get moving" he leaped off into the trees, in the direction of Konoha.


	2. Prologue part 2: A Girl and a Seal

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters. If I did I would be filthy stinking rich and have no reason to write a fanfic. I do own this story, however. End disclaimer

**Prologue Part Two: A Girl and a Seal**

In the small Village hidden in the Stones; a younger girl at about the age of six stared out her window of a tall building that stood in the center of the village. Her heart was set on escaping what she thought of as terrible place, unlike others who enjoyed spending their time in the village and visiting the Tsuchikage; her father.

Tormented by the thoughts of having to stay in her room made the girl frustrated. She walked to her closet and changed out of her clothes; revealing her scars, scratches, and bruises all over her body. The girl soon changed into her daily clothes and tied her ninja head band around her waist.

As she walked to the window she slowly stepped onto the window sill, her father, the Tsuchikage, burst into her room with and angered expression that almost mad his face look red. Fear filled her eyes as she looked at him and he grabbed her arm pulling her away from the window. "Finn! What do you think you were doing?! You weren't trying to run away again were you?!" Exclaimed her father as he squeezed onto her arm.

Being at such a young age made her timid at the sight of her father especially when he yelled at her. She didn't answer as she looked at the ground, knowing what was going to happen. She closed her eyes tightly as a hand slammed hard against her face, leaving a slight red mark on her cheek. "This seal was not placed on you so you can have fun with you life, it is so you can be strong and grow up like me and become the new Tsuchikage!" He had turned her arm slightly to show a long black seal that ran from her shoulder to the middle of her arm.

"Get ready for tomorrow for that is when your seal will be released." He threw her to the ground as she looked at the seal. Finn wasn't sure about where the seal came from, but neither did her father, or that was at least what he told her. She stared at the seal as she heard the door slam closed.

**Next Day  
**  
Finn had been lying in her bed with the thought of the seal and what could happen when it was released. Could it really give her more power or just make everything worse? She looked at the new scars and scratches she gained from her father the day before after trying to sneak out for the second time.

Two Anbu came into her room as they grabbed her arms and pulled her out of her bed and down stairs to a darkened room. Her father stood before her with fierce eyes that made her quiver into the corner of the room. Before she could even blink she was punched in the arm as she flew across the room as the seal on her arm light up a bright red and started to burn as it changed shape. Finn's eyes changed along with her short pink hair which changed to black. She stood up slowly as her glowing eyes stared at the two Anbu and her father. "You made a big mistake!"

Her father was surprised by the results of the released seal. Finn's nails grew slightly as she disappeared quickly and reappeared in the center of the village. People stared at her before disappearing quickly into their homes. Many ninja grabbed onto her as she breathed deeply. Her younger sister, Sakura approached her. "What happened to you Finn?" Sakura was many years younger then her and wasn't aware of how dangerous she was. Finn looked at her sister as the seal changed again and she reverted back to her normal self and passed out in the arms of the ninja. _'I promise I will never use it again……'_


	3. Chapter 1: Shadow

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters. If I did I would be filthy stinking rich and have no reason to write a fanfic. I do own this story, however. End disclaimer

**Chapter 1: Shadow**

It had been 12 years since Shojin escaped Orochimaru's lair. The search hadn't lasted long because Orochimaru was more interested in the red-haired boy anyways. Shojin had lived a pretty good life after he came across the Village Hidden in the Leaves, which took him in. he became a Genin shortly after they tested his skills, and in his first Chunnin Exam, a mere 3 months after he came, he passed with flying colors. At age 8 he was appointed as a Jonin, one of the youngest ever. Now, at age 18, he was a Tokubetsu Jonin, but was not considered old enough to take on a team of Genins. Today he was out in the forest, relaxing and enjoying a day off.

All of the sudden, Shojin's blood went cold. He felt **His **chakra again. That chakra that was so obviously evil. The one who could copy his every jutsu, because he was the same as Shojin himself.

"Shadow" Shojin growled, "What the hell do you want?" he turned around to face the red-haired man.

"Shojin, do you really have to ask? I want to fight you again. Our last fight left a…bad taste in my mouth." Shadow frowned.

"The taste of defeat, no doubt. Something you should be used to by now. You bloodthirsty fighting style leaves too many openings for counterattacks and your speed can't always cover those up, especially if you're fighting me." Shojin frowned, "Must I remind you of our last battle?"

Shadow grinned " That was two years ago, Shojin. I'm far stronger now than I was back them. Plus, I've got some new techniques that are just… to die for…" Shadow activated his Sharingan, which had all three tomoe already, for emphasis.

Shojin sighed. "Tell you what, I'll use just Hyuga style taijutsu this time. " He activated his Byakugan and went into a standard Hyuga battle stance. "Come."

Shadow smirked. "Your confidence shall be your downfall, Shojin." With lightning speed, Shadow moved behind Shojin. "_Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!_" he shot a huge fireball at Shojin's back.

Shojin smirked. "_Kaiten_!" Shojin span and created the signature chakra sheild of the Hyuga. The fireballl hit it and exploded, but Shojin was untouched. "You'll have to try harder than that, Shadow." He used body flicker to move directly behind Shadow. "_Jyuken_!" He struck Shadow right on a chakra point, effectivelly closing it and pissing Shadow off.

"Damn you!" Shadow spun around and shot a chakra-powered punch to Shojin's face, but it stopped when it hit Shojin's chakra sheild. "_Kaiten_!" Shojin spun, which tossed Shadow off into the trees.

Shadow quickly recovered and came at him with another punch, but again it was deflected by the chakra sheild and sent Shadow spinning into a nearby treee wich fell on top of him. "We go through this every time, Shadow. Give it up."

The tree exploded as Shadow roared with anger. "Shojin, you are a damned fool! With my new skill, I won't have to touch you to kill you!" His Sharingan began changing, and before Shojin could look away, he was staring into Shadow's Mangekyo Sharingan.

Shojin cursed silently. He realised he was caught in on of Shadow's most powerful genjutsus, _Tsukuyomi_.

Shadow's laughter echoed in Shojin's ears. "Three days… for three days I get to torture you. You will feel pain… your mind will be in anguish… and when it's all over, we'll be back in the forest, and you'll be powerless to stop me from destroying you." Many Shadows appeared all over the place, and Shojin prepared himself for the pain that was sure to come.

Shojin colapsed on the ground, breathing heavily. "Damn…you…" he slowly got up as the effects on his mind wore off. "When the hell did you get that?"

"During my training about a year ago. I was slaughtering an entire village and it just sort of appeared. Ever since, I've been training with it. It has some techniques that are really.."

"To die for?" Shojin finished.

"Exactly." Shadow smirked. "Now, I'm going to finish you off. Mangekyo Sharingan!"

Shojin closed his eyes to avoid looking at the deadly Sharingan. "The same trick won't work on me twice, Shadow. All I have to do is avoid looking into your eyes."

Shadow laughed loudly. "Genjutsu is not the only thing that I'm good at, Shojin. _Amaterasu_!"

Shojin suddenly felt..hot. he opened his eyes to find black flames all over his body. "What the hell? What is this? It has to be genjutsu." He cut his hand with a kunai, a standard action that would result in the breaking of a genjutsu, but the flames did not disperse. "What the hell?"

"I told you Shojin. I am skilled in more area than genjutsu. This is my ninjutsu. Those black flames burn very hot, and what's worse, they shall not burn out for three days, and cannot be put out."

Shojin fell to the ground, writhing in pain from the heat. "Damn…you.." he struggled for a few minutes before passing out from the pain anf heat.

Shadow chuckled and turned around, walking away from his enemy. "You lose, Shojin."


	4. Chapter 2: Finn

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters. If I did I would be filthy stinking rich and have no reason to write a fanfic. I do own this story, however. End disclaimer

A Note From the Author: Hey guys, I thought I might actually talk to you in this chapter, aren't I nice? I really appreciate everyone who reads my story, and people who review it even more. I will start releasing one chapter per week, though some weeks. It may be early or late, depending on my mood.

Also, sorry if my chapters are short, I'm not very good at stretching things out quite yet. Hopefully that will change soon.

**Chapter 2: Finn**

It had been 11 years since the incident with the curse mark. Finn was doing better these days, the curse mark didn't act up unless provoked, as it had been that day, and her father was disturbed by the effects of the seal, so he stopped obsessing about it. This made Finn a little happier, and she stopped trying to run away. Her father even allowed her to take a trip out of the village when she pleased.

Finn was enjoying such a trip in the forest when she smelled fire. Curious as she was, she followed the smell, thinking there was perhaps a shinobi team nearby. As she neared the source of the smell, the air became hot. The air was far hotter than a fire should make the air. She finally located the source of the fire; it came from a man who was on fire and lying on the ground. The strange thing was, the flames that engulfed the man were not colored correctly. They were black, and as much as they burned, the fire didn't go out. The stranger thing was that the man's skin regenerated as fast as it was burned.

Finn took out a sealing scroll and performed some hand seals. The fire was surrounded by chakra from the scroll and sealed away inside the scroll. The she examined the ninja, he appeared to have blue hair, though it was singed in places by the fire. Additionally, he wore a Jonin vest and a Konoha Headband.

"Konoha, huh? He's pretty far from home. I should take him back to Iwagakure, I dunno if he could survive a trip all the way to Konoha."

Finn picked up the ninja and leaped off towards Iwagakure. She stopped at a large boulder, which blocked the entrance to the village. She made a few handsigns and the rock moved upward, allowing her to enter Iwagakure. She rushed through the crowded streets, and many ninja were confused by her passenger. Iwagakure had been enmies with Konaha in the past, after all.

Finn arrived at the hospital and handed the ninja over to the doctors. "You do know that this is a Konoha ninja, right Finn?" The doctors uestioned her.

"Yeah, so? We don't have any problems with Konaha at the moment, so we don't have any problems with him." Finn stated bluntly.

The Doctors rushed him to an examination room, and Finn was told to wait in the lab while they did blood tests and healed him.

When the doctors came back with the results, they looked stunned. "Alright, we took a blood sample, that was when we made our first discovery. This ninja has the blood of many clans running through his veins. Also, there were strands of DNA that were demonic in structure in his blood. His physical examination revealed even more oddities. His eyes appear to be capable of using the Hyuga's Byakugan and the Uchiha's Sharingan. Additionally, there were two cured seals on his body, these fit the desciption of two cursed seals created by the Missing-nin Orochimaru, and are extrememly powerful. Fortunately, both have been sealed so that the user can control them, so there's not a big risk of him going beserk. Just as shocking as everything else were his regenerative abilities. During the examination all of his wounds healed perfectly, without any aid from us. I believe it is safe to say this is not a normal ninja."

Just as the doctor had finished talking, the blue-haired ninja in question came into the lobby of the hospital, arguing with the nurse that was following him.

"No, really, I'm fine, I don't need to rest. Hey what's that thing? A needle!? No, wait, I don't need a shot, I'm fine. Wait a sec, why the hell is my arm in a cast!? I can move it, it feels fine! Hey leggo! No!" he protested as they dragged him back down the hallway.

"He seems healthy enough" The doctor explained "But we want to run more tests to be sure."

The ninja's arguments could be heard echoing down the hallways.

**5 hours later**

The ninja looked out the door to his hospital room. No doctors or nurses. Good. He quickly changed out of his hopital gown and into his clothes, which were piled in a heap in the corner of the room. After straightening his headband, he opened the window to his hospital room and leaped out of the 37th story into the cloudy night.

Finn was just leaving the hospital when the ninja landed in front of her, his back truned to her. "Sweet, I got out. No more needles."

Finn tapped him on the shoulder. "What the hell are you doing?"

The ninja jumped up in the air, then turned around to face her. It was dark, so he couldn't make out her face, just an outline. "err.. I was just… that is…"

"Leaving the hospital before you're released is dangerous, you know. There could be something wrong with your body." Finn stated.

"Yeah, I know. But I know my body better than any doctor." He stated.

The clouds finnally moved, allowing the moon's light to illuminate the village. It was at this point that the ninja was able to see her face.

"Hey, you're that girl that saved me, right?" he inquired

"Yeah. I'm Finn. It's a miracle that that fire didn't kill you…uhhh.." she realised she didn't know his name.

"Shojin " the ninja said smiling. "I'm Kyoudai Shojin."

" Well, Shojin. It's a miracle I found you alive." She looked at him questioningly as they began to walk. "So, how in the world did you manage to get hat strange fire on you, anyway?"

Shojin's face darkened as he thought back to his battle with Shadow about a day ago. He still remembered his rival's laughter as he walked away. "I don't want to talk about it." He stated bluntly.

"Okay…" Finn said, dropping the subject.

They kept walking and Shojin noticed Finn's green eyes and pink hair. "Hey, Finn. You look like a girl in my village. Do you know Haruno Sakura?"

Finn's eyes lit up as she turned to him. "Sakura!? She's my little sister! Do you know her?

"Yeah. I sometimes go on missions with her team. She's quite an accomplished ninja. She trained under th Hokage, so she knows quite a bit of medical jutsu, and she also has a tremenous amount of strength. She once punched a loudmouthed blonde boy about 300 meters with a single punch." He chuckled as he remembered this. Then he looked at Finn quizically. "if you're a Haruno, why aren't you in Konoha?"

Finn sighed. "My mother and father belong to different villages. My mother belongs to Konoha while my father belongs to Iwagakure. I stay with my father while my Sakura stays with my mother. Every once in a while I visit her."

Shojin yawned "I kinda wondered why I never saw her father around."

Finn noticed the yawn. "I knew it. You're still wiped out from whatever happened out in that forest."

Shojin cringed. "Well, maybe a little. I'll be okay once I rest."

Finn sighed. "You need a place to sleep? I could set you up in the guest room at my house. But only because you're a friend of Sakura."

"Eh!? You sure I wouldn't be imposing?" Shojin asked.

"Hmm.. maybe you're right. Maybe you should go back to the hospital bed." Finn commented slyly.

Shojin thought back to all the tests and shivered. "Your house it is."

Finn smirked slightly. "Thought so.

Shojin looked around. "Uhh, where exactly is your house Finn?"

"Right here." Finn said, stopping in front of the Tsuchikage's Mansion.

"Your Father's the Tsuchikage!?" Shojin practically shouted.

"Shh, you'll wake people with your big mouth!" Finn scolded, putting her hand over his mouth to drown out the noise. She led him inside. "Alright, I'll tell my father you're here in the morning, you don't want to wake him, trust me. This will be your room" Finn said as she opened the door to the guest room. "Now if you need anything don't be afraid to….ask….." Finn looked at the bed and noticed Shojin was already out cold. "Hmp. Knew he was tired."

Finn was getting ready to go to sleep, also. That is, until she noticed a shadow on the wall….

Ohhh what's going to happen to Finn?

And it's a shadow, not Shadow the character. Just clearing that up.


	5. Chapter 3: Kidnapped!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters. If I did I would be filthy stinking rich and have no reason to write a fanfic. I do own this story, however. End disclaimer

AN: okay, so this chapter has a little lime (and i mean extremely short) in it, for those of you who don't know what that means it means there is some slight sexual themes at a certain point. I realize that some readers may not want to read such content, so I will clearly label where such scenes begin and end. You'll know it when you lay eyes on it.

Damn I sound smart.

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**Chapter 3: Kidnapped!**

"_Experiment 2,059… he's different from 1,289, Orochimaru-sama. Despite what we've taught him over these five years, he still suppresses his true ability and refuses to kill when ordered to kill. He has far more power than he ever shows in training, we are almost certain of that. It is quite possible that he is stronger than 1,289."_

"_This is all a theory, though. We have no proof of 2,059's true powers, so it is impossible to tell if he is the more powerful one. I believe I will pick 1,289 will become my new body." Orochimaru smirked. "In fact.., I want 2,059 exterminated tomorrow. He is the biggest disappointment of all my experiments."_

_As Shojin listened to this conversation from the hallway outside Orochimaru's room, his eyes grew wide with fear. "Kill….me?" _

Shojin woke up sweating and breathing heavily. He took his hands away from his eyes and looked around the room. This dream had been plaguing him lately, and he couldn't figure out why. "Just a dream…jeez, why do I keep dreaming about that day?" He got up walked out side of his room. He was walking down the hallway when he noticed a door standing wide open. Inside was a bed and a lot of ninja equipment, but that wasn't what was odd. The odd thing was that there was a knocked over bookshelf, blood on the floor, and dented and blood-stained weapons scattered everywhere.

"What the hell happened in here?" Shojin entered into the room, examining the obvious signs of battle. He sniffed the air in the room. "Huh… Finn was definitely here… but who was she fighting…. And why was she fighting them…" He searched around the room and found a crucial piece of evidence: a ninja headband. "A headband!? What villages.." He picked it up and looked at the insignia carved on the metal. "Mist village…"

Shojin looked at the headband and anger started surging through him, causing a large amount of chakra to leak out of his body. "The Mist…damn them." He looked around the room and found a note left by the ninja.

_Experiment 2,059. We have the Tsuchikage's daughter. Tell the Tsuchikage we will give her back, but only in exchange for his unconditional surrender, and also your presence at base 301._

Shojin stared at the note in disbelief. Why in the world would they want him to come to their greatest military base? Under any normal circumstances, Shojin might have just forgotten about the girl, but she had saved his life, and also she was Sakura's sister. How could he not save her?

Shojin sighed. "Okay, guess I'm kicking Mist ninja ass today."

Shojin jumped out of the window with the headband he had found and followed the scent that was on it. Shojin had no sooner left the village than he heard screams coming from within it. "Damn it, what now?"

Shojin ran back to find many Mist ninja attacking the city. There had to be at least 2,000 that Shojin could see, with more coming in every minute. "Those bastards…. What are they up to? _Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!_" Shojin created about 50 clones of himself, all lined up, awaiting orders. "Alright, I want you clones to help the ninja here defend the city while I go to the Mist's base."

"Understood!" The clones shouted out as the leaped off into the city, slaughtering Mist ninja all over the city.

"Right. I better hurry now." Shojin leaped off, following the scent of the headband once more.

Shojin finally arrived at the Mist ninja's base. From here it was probably futile to follow the one ninja's scent, so Shojin picked up on Finn's scent. He followed the scent into the base and moved through the corridors quickly.

**Elsewhere in the base…**

Finn Woke up slowly, her vision fuzzy. But…. Why? "Why… is my vision blurry… why do I feel so… disoriented….wait..." Memories of the night before came flooding back to her.

**A Couple Hours Earlier**

Finn noticed a shadow on her wall and turned around to see a Mist ninja. "What the hell are you doing here?"

The Mist ninja just smirked. "I'm here for you. The Mist needs you to achieve their goals. We want your father to surrender, and we want to capture Experiment 2,059." The ninja pulled out a kunai.

"Like I'll let that happen! I could care less about this "Experiment 2,059", but you're not going to use me to take over this village!" Finn shouted as she prepared for battle.

Finn Charged forwards, knocking the ninja down with a single punch. "F-Fast!" The ninja cried out in surprise. Finn just smirked, but her triumph was cut short as another ninja leapt from behind her and sliced her across the back with a kunai. "Don't let your guard down, girl.

Finn glared at the ninja as she turned around and delivered a punch to his abdomen, which sent him flying out of the window. She immediately turned her attention to the other ninja, who was getting up and ready to attack. As he charged at her, she pulled out a kunai and stabbed him in the gut, ripping pieces of his clothing off in the process and ending by slicing his headband clean off. "Take that."

"Not bad." Finn's eyes opened wide in surprise as she heard the ninja. Before she could react, the ninja hit her over the head.

"Damn it." Finn cursed as she blacked out.

**Present**

"Damn it all…" Finn tried to move, but found herself chained up. "Bastards… guess I should try to escape…" Finn smirked as she inspected the chains. "Far too weak to hold me." She snapped the chains easily with her strength. "Okay, now I need to find a way out of here."

Finn opened the door to the cell (with a punch) and looked out at the crowd of Mist ninja that were gathered. "Crap." Finn reached for her kunai, which she wasn't surprised to find had been taken from her. "Jeez…" Finn rushed forward and knocked a couple ninja down with her fists while defending against the blows of other. Ay ninja that fell lost their equipment to Finn.

Finally, Finn found what she was looking for; explosive tags. "Perfect" She said, attaching them to her kunai. "Take this!" She threw the deadly kunai into concentrated patches of ninja, which resulted in explosions and sometimes chains of explosions if an enemy ninja had and explosive tags in their possession. One kunai, unfortunately, was deflected by a faster ninja, and it hit Finn. Finn fell against the wall, so injured that she couldn't move. "Ugh… Man…"

Some of the ninja came up, smirking and laughing. "Well, well, boys, looks like we can have some fun with the little lady now…"

**LIME – Sexual Content**

Finn looked up in fear at the ninja, and it was all she could to do scream as they approached her. She winced as one of them grabbed her shirt, which was ripped and torn, and pulled it off of her body. She blushed profusely, defenseless against her assailants. "Damn…You!" She spit at the ninja.

"You Bitch!" The ninja slapped her and she whimpered in pain, then gasped in surprise as he grabbed her breasts. "Ah, these are a nice size, heh heh heh…" She started crying as they removed her bra. "Ahahahahaha-"

**End of Lime – Normal Content**

A red chakra hand slammed into the group on ninjas' grabbing them and flinging them into the wall. Finn cowered in fear of the dark figure approaching her, that is, until he stepped into the light. Then she sighed in relief.

"Shojin… thank goodness." Finn sighed. Shojin knelt down and put a robe around Finn, then lifted her gingerly up onto his shoulders.

"Sorry I'm late, I got caught in a couple of battle on the way here." Shojin winced and healed a huge gash on his arm before smiling "No big deal." His face darkened as he looked at the group of ninja that had been attacking her. "Those bastards… I really should've gotten here sooner."

Finn sighed and lightly punched him on the head. "Idiot… at least you got here… when you got here doesn't really matter." She smiled. "Though I am glad you got here before they got any farther.

"Right." Shojin smiled and held onto her tightly. "Ready to go, then?"

Finn nodded, and Shojin took off, the walls and ninja of the base passed by in a blur as he ran, his red chakra arms lashing out here and there to take out enemies. "I've really got to hurry!" Shojin picked up speed, and Finn just held on, stunned at how fast they were moving. Shojin moved into the forest, and then into the mountainous area in which Iwagakure was located. As they neared the gate, Finn made the necessary hand signs to move the rock, and they quickly moved inside of the village.

A clone immediately reported to Shojin. "There's only about 10 clones left sir, and many more ninja are pouring into the village every minute."

Shojin sighed. "Here, take Finn to her house and attend to her wounds. I'll take care of the enemy."

Finn gasped. "You can't! There must be at least 1,000 ninja in the village right now!" She looked up at him, worried.

Shojin just smiled. "1,000 or 10,000, it matters not to me, I'll take them down." He gave her a thumbs up.

Finn smiled and nodded. "Right, be careful." The clones carried her off.

Shojin turned his attention to the enemy ninja. "Alright, bastards. You wanted Experiment 2,059? Well, I'm here. Let's have some fun." He smirked as his red chakra appeared around him.

The ninja shuddered when they saw it, but held their ground.

A mistake on their part.

Shojin raced around the village, slicing the necks of ninja and crushing them with the ominous chakra that swirled around his body. Crimson blood spattered on walls and bloodcurdling screams echoed throughout the village as the enemy ninjas met with their demise. Many smarter ninja turned to flee, but they could not escape Shojin's judgment. When Shojin was done, his whole body was covered in the slick, crimson juices of his enemies. "Is that really all you guys have to offer?"

Shojin raced back to Finn house and entered her room. All present shuddered at his appearance, he was still giving off some killing intent. Some clones were picking up the mess in her room while others were healing her.

"Good work guys" Shojin dispersed the clones, then came over to Finn. "How're you feeling?"

"Better, thanks." Finn frowned. "I hate those cowards. They couldn't defeat my father, so they capture me. They couldn't catch this 'Experiment 2,059', so they used me as bait. I don't even know an Experiment 2,059!"

Shojin cringed and looked visibly guilty. "Shojin, what's wrong?" Finn looked up with concern.

Shojin looked down, his face dark. "Well, a log time ago, back where I was born, I was called Experiment 2,059."

Finn looked up surprised. "So the mist wanted you to come to their base…but why?"

Shojin smirked. "Probably thought that they could capture me and turn me in to Orochimaru for a reward."

Finn was about to question him further, but her door burst open, and before she knew what was happening, Shojin was caught in a chokehold. "Trying to take my precious daughter, eh punk? I'll teach you a thing or two about messing with Iwagakure!"

"Father, lets him go!" Finn yelled. "He just saved me and this village from the Mist, he's our ally!"

"ohh…well….errr" He looked down to find a log in his hands. "_Substitution? But no one could have possibly had time to do that. This kid… he's not normal…"_

Shojin called from a tree outside. "Hey Finn, is it safe to come back inside?"

Finn nodded and Shojin jumped inside.

The Tsuchikage looked a little guilty "Sorry about that. You're welcome to stay here anytime you want, Shojin." His face got serious. "In the guest room, of course. I don't want you and Finn in the same rooms. I know teenage hormones an-"

"FATHER!" Finn yelled, blushing slightly. "You think he'd actually do that!? Jeez!"

They started arguing back and forth, and Shojin just walked off, took a bath to rid himself of the blood, then went to the guest room bed. He settled down into the blankets and went off to sleep.

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AN: Lol at Finn and her father. I couldn't stop laughing as I wrote that, picturing poor Finn responding to that statement. Next chapter will be a little shorter, probably, and fluffy. Tell me how the little lime was in your review, which i am still waiting for.


	6. Chapter 4: Affection

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters. If I did I would be filthy stinking rich and have no reason to write a fanfic. I do own this story, however. End disclaimer

AN: hope you guys enjoyed the last chapter. This chapter will be short…and fluffy. Enjoy.

Chidori1262: Thanks, it's good to have someone who truly enjoys my story. Makes it worth it to post the new chapter each week.

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**Chapter 4: Affection**

_Shojin was running. Running…from what? His head wasn't clear, he was too filled with terror to think straight and process why he was running. He arrived back in his room and his terrified mind told him to grab his clothes and gear, then run again. He avoided Sound and Mist ninja that were traveling around the base, and finally arrived at the exit, when he heard someone walk up behind him._

Shojin woke up abruptly. He couldn't figure out why he was dreaming about something that occurred so long ago in his life. He got up out of his bed and pulled on his pants and shirt, then his vest. He had just finished tying his headband when he heard fighting outside. He looked outside and saw Finn surrounded by around twenty Mist ninja.

"What the hell! She's still injured! Those bastards!" Shojin felt anger welling up inside him, anger at the Mist who were attacking this girl who had been through so much already and anger at those who treated him as a weapon. He would show them…

The wall of the room Shojin was standing in exploded. The Mist ninja looked up to locate the source of the explosion and their eyes went wide in fear as they saw Shojin, standing there with red chakra glowing around him, and expression painted on his face that said 'I'm not happy'. "That's him! Experiment 2,059! Let's get out of here!" The ninja turned and ran off as Shojin went to check on Finn.

Finn sat up, looking defeated and disheartened. "I can't even take out a few Mist ninja. Genins, no less. What good am I to this village?"

Shojin looked at her with concern. "Finn, it's okay. I mean, you're still hurt from yesterday-"

Finn cut him off "It's like this all the time, Shojin. I'm not a very good ninja, and there's no way I can become the Tsuchikage like my father wants me to be."

"Finn…" Shojin looked at her, confused, as she stood and turned her back to him.

"Tell my father I left." She said as she took off towards the entrance to the village.

Shojin couldn't let her go. There was something about that girl…that made him want to be around her more. He took off after her, bumping into many people along the way. He followed her as she opened the stone and exited the village "Finn!" Shojin called as he ran after the pink-haired ninja.

Finn heard his voice, but wanted to forget everything; him, the village, the seal that plagued her every day. She sped up to try and lose her pursuer, but the pain from her injuries intensified due to the strain and caused her to stop. "Damn it…"

Shojin finally caught up to her and helped her sit down. "Finn, why? Why are you leaving?"

She turned her face away from him. "I can't live up to the expectations of my village. With my current skill, I'll never become the Tsuchikage. I'm a failure as a ninja, and no one would care if I left, anyways."

"But-"Shojin started, but was cut off.

"There's no way I could ever make my village proud of me. The only thing they ever showed interest in was my seal, and after they saw the effects of it, then lost interest in it. There's no way I can become better. That's why no one cares if I fail-"

"I do."

Finn looked over to him, slight tears in her eyes, and her voice became angry. "Why should you care? It's not your village, it's not your fellow Konoha ninja's problem, why do you care what happens to me?"

"Because…" Shojin's voice was barely a whisper. "I…like….you…."

"What?" Finn asked, unable to hear his response.

"I said I like you okay?" Shojin shouted.

Finn slapped him. Hard. "Don't shout at me! I hate it when people shout at me!" She said crying.

Shojin hung his head in shame, but then Finn put her hand on his cheek where she had slapped him.

"I'm sorry." She said, her eyes teary and sad. "It's just, I have a lot on my mind right now"

Shojin didn't respond, he just held her. Wrapped his arms around her and held her as she rested her weary and confused head against his chest. Finn slowly drifted off to sleep, as did Shojin, each of them holding each other in an affectionate embrace.

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AN: Questions that will be asked by readers: So there's gonna be a lemon next chapter, right?

My Answer: Hell no, you'll have to wait.

So this chapter was short. And fluffy. Sorry, but it's a crucial part of the story, it's just not a particularly long part of the story. Next chapter should be longer, and with more fluff. Don't forget to review, cause then I add your name to that nifty message thing at the start of new chapters.


	7. Chapter 5: Death and Love

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters. If I did I would be filthy stinking rich and have no reason to write a fanfic. I do own this story, however. End disclaimer

AN: hey guys. I have nothing snazzy and smart to say, so here's the next chapter. Sorry it took so long.

**Chapter 5: Death and Love**

Finn's emerald eyes opened slowly, and she tried to make sense of where she was. Someone had their arms around her protectively, and she had her head lying against this person's muscular chest. Slowly, as she woke up, her memories returned to her, tiny pieces of this puzzle that was her life. She remembered the person had a name, and it was Shojin. She looked up at the sleeping face of Shojin. He was drooling slightly which made her giggle.

Shojin stirred when she giggled. "Huh? What's so funny, Finn?" he asked, drool still running down his face.

"N-n-nothing..." Finn said, holding back her giggles with great difficulty.

"Eh? If you say so then..." He said skeptically.

Finn gazed up into the trees and thought of her sister. "It sure would be nice to visit her again.

Shojin looked over at her, confused. "Visit who?"

This seemed to snap her out of her stupor. "Sakura. I haven't seen her in a couple of years. But I don't know the way to Konoha, I always have to have someone escort me there blindfolded, since Iwagakure and Konoha were enemies once."

Shojin chuckled "Is that all? I can take you to Konoha, no problem."

"Really?! That'd be great!" She exclaimed, hugging Shojin almost to death.

After Shojin's face returned to its natural color, he was finally able to speak "Alright. All I have to do is stop at the gate and get you a pass when we arrive, other than that; there should be no problems with taking you there." He knelt down slightly. "Hop on my back."

"Okay…" She said skeptically as she hopped on his back. "Why-"

She was cut off as Shojin activated his body flicker jutsu, causing them to almost instantaneously travel to the gates of Konoha.

Finn fell off his back, dizzy and feeling like she was about to puke "warn… me… before... you do that…" She gasped as she picked herself up.

"Sorry bout that." He smiled sheepishly, then started looking around the village. "Good to be back." He spotted one building. "Ichiraku Ramen! It's open! Good, we can get something to eat." He led Finn over to the restaurant and they sat down next to a blonde-haired boy. "Hey there Naruto! Only on your second bowl?"

Naruto turned to Shojin as he sat down. "Bout time! Granny's been wondering where you've been, you were supposed to be back a few days ago."

"Yeah, I ran into some trouble, but then I met Finn here" He said, motioning to the pink-haired kunoichi.

"Hey, she looks kinda lik-"

Naruto was cut off by Shojin. "That's right! Naruto, do you know where Sakura is?"

"Let's see… I saw her this morning, she was headed to Granny's place to help her out, I'd check the Hokage Mansion."

"Great, I'll go get her" Shojin said, leaping off.

"So Naruto" Finn questioned, "How do you know Sakura?"

"We're on the same squad, have been for about three years. I've known her since my academy days, though every time I ask her out she just hits me." Naruto mused, rubbing a spot she had hit only days before

Shojin returned, walking behind Sakura with his hands over her eyes. "Seriously though Shojin, what's the big surprise?"

"This." Shojin said, removing his hands.

"Ah! Sister!" Sakura cried. "Where have you been? I've missed you!"

Finn and Sakura started chattering and walked off. "There they go for the next couple of hours. " Naruto commented dryly.

"Well then, Naruto, let's go train. " Shojin and Naruto got up "Leave the bill with Iruka-sensei, old man, he'll be here soon." Naruto called as they left.

As they walked off Iruka entered the shop. His loud "What?!" could be heard for miles.

**At the Training Grounds**

Shojin prepared himself for battle, tossing off the long coat he had been wearing and retying his headband. Naruto stretched out and got into his fighting stance.

"Alright, no holding back!" Naruto shouted.

Shojin charged forward, but appeared behind Naruto and elbowed him in the back, sending him flying. "As you wish, I won't hold back."

"Damn Shojin, you got a lot faster since the last time we fought."

Just as Shojin was feeling good, Naruto appeared behind him "Rasengan!" Shojin cried out as the attack was pushed into his back, sending him flying into a tree. Naruto grinned until he noticed it was only a clone. "No less from Shojin… "Naruto looked around, trying to locate him.

"Nice try Naruto." Shojin's voice rang out from all directions. "But not good enough."

"Genjutsu…" Naruto cursed, "Damn. But when did you.."

"At the start of the fight, when you looked at me, I already had you then. It was over at that point."

"Don't underestimate me!" Naruto concentrated his chakra and broke the genjutsu. "I'll show you Shojin! Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto made his signature shadow clones and ran after Shojin.

"Shit." Shojin copied the jutsu, making his own clones do battle with Naruto's. "Give em hell, men!"

The clones fought while Naruto and Shojin charged at each other, each one intent on snatching victory.

Shojin's punches came in at impossibly fast speeds, but Naruto defended them without much problem, even countering them every once in a while. Finally Naruto caught him with a kick to the stomach that sent him flying.

"Woa… nice speed Naruto. You've improved significantly. " Shojin got up off the ground, then appeared behind Naruto. "But now, it's over." He elbowed Naruto hard, sending him flying into a nearby tree.

Naruto passed out from the blow, so Shojin had to carry him back to the village. Finn and Sakura were walking around talking and Sakura came to see what was up. "What did you guys do?"

"Just a little sparring match. We went a little overboard, though. " Shojin said, grinning sheepishly.

"Idiot! Be more careful!" Finn yelled, hitting Shojin over the head

"OW! Finn, that hurt!" Shojin cried

"It's your own fault, baka." Finn stated.

Sakura sighed. "I guess ill go take care of Naruto. See ya later Finn!"

Finn sighed. "I'm going exploring"

Finn walked off as a bird came down to land on Shojin's shoulder. "What the hell?" He read the message, then groaned. "just got back, and already I have an assassination mission. Jeez…" Shojin ran off after his target

Meanwhile, Finn started feeling dizzy. "Damn…it…" Finn passed out in the streets.

**About 5 hours later**

Shojin returned to Konoha, covered in the blood of his target. "That guy was really good at running." Shojin stopped when he head someone calling him.

"Shojin!" Naruto yelled, running towards him. "Hurry to Sakura's house!"

Shojin took off, nearly knocking Naruto over with his speed. He arrived to find Sakura attending to a passed out Finn. "What happened?"

"She got a little too hot and passed out" Sakura answered. "She'll be fine."

Shojin sighed with felief. "By the way, Sakura, mind if I take the other guest room? Apparently my apartment owner doesn't like the blood I track in the hallways, so he kicked me out."

Sakura sighed. "As if I like it any more, but sure, stay as long as you need to."

Shojin went off to the guest room and changed out of his bloody clothes. "I think I should take a bath" Shojin went to the bath to wash the blood off of his body.

Finn stirred and looked up at Sakura. "You didn't tell anyone, right?"

"Of course not!" Sakura cried.

Finn got up and walked towards her own room, but ran into someone. "OW! Watch it! Eh?" She looked up to find Shojin "What are you doing here?"

"Nice to see you, too. My apartment owner kicked me out, so I'm crashing here for a few days. So…" Shojin looked at her seriously. "What really happened?"

Finn heard Sakura coming "Quick, get inside!" She pushed him into her room.

"Finn, what's going on?" Shojin asked.

"I told Sakura what happened…but not all of what's happening," She looked up at him sadly. "Shojin, I'm not going to be here in a month."

"Wha-" Shojin began, but was cut off.

"Itt's a disease. No ones knows how to cure it, an it will kill me within a month." She continued

Shojin came up and hugged her. "Finn…"

She hugged him back. "And Shojin?"

"Yea?" he responded.

"I like you, too" She said shyly.

Shojin stared at her, dumbfounded. He gazed into her eyes, those deep emerald pools that always seemed to make him melt. Slowly, their they came closer together, and their lips locked in a passionate kiss.

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AN: nope, no lemons yet. I'm such a tease

Hey, what d'ya know? I'm still alive. Sorry for not posting, again. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. The next one will be…like uber short.


	8. Chapter 6: Cure

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters. If I did I would be filthy stinking rich and have no reason to write a fanfic. I do own this story, however. End disclaimer

AN: well, this chapter's just a little sort one. Well, short compared to other chapters anyways.

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**Chapter 6: Cure**

_Shojin turned around to face the figure. "Look, Shadow…I'm sorry, but I'm leaving. I can't take it anymore. I hate this place."_

_Shadow sighed. "Shojin, I already know of their plans, it's alright. Your best plan for survival would be to flee." He looked seriously at the blue-haired boy. "Shojin, just remember that you're always stronger than you may think. You can overcome any obstacle with your strength."_

_Shojin turned around, facing the woods and wiping away a tear. "I'm sure we'll meet again, Shadow."_

Shojin slowly opened his eyes. There was a pressure on his chest, but he couldn't quite place what it was or how it got there. It wasn't until he actually saw the pink hair and sleeping face of Finn that things started making sense. He remembered the night before, the news of Finn's terminal and mysterious illness that threatened to take her life. He was filled with anger at the very thought of losing her. "I'm going to save her."

Shojin slowly moved Finn off of his chest and back onto her bed. He went over to the desk in the room and sat down, thinking.

"If I finish that jutsu…it might work…but it's so far from finished" Shojin mused.

Finn woke up slowly and sat up. She looked around groggily until she spotted Shojin. "Shojin…what're you doing?"

Shojin broke out of his trance and looked over at Finn, smiling. "Just…thinking about something." He took out some sheets of paper and began scribbling on them "Uh-huh…that'll work….but it'll take a lot of seals…"

Finn started to get frustrated. "What are you up to Shojin?" she inquired a little more sternly this time.

Shojin sighed as he turned to her. "A new jutsu. A pretty powerful one at that. It will be capable of resetting all the cells in the body to their original state. In theory, it could get rid of anything that was not present when you were born. Such as the disease that you got."

Finn's eyes lit up and her jaw dropped. "Seriously? That's incredible!" Her face darkened as she thought. "But there must be a catch, right?"

Shojin winced. "There is. It will require me to use a great deal of my energy to regenerate the cells in your body. It would shorten my lifespan by about ten years." Shojin admitted.

"What? I can't let you do that. I would rather die than shorten your life." Finn said, tears coming to her eyes.

"Finn…" Shojin smiled and wiped away her tears gently. "I would gladly give up fifty years of my life if it was needed to save you. I- I don't think I could lose you."

Finn cried and hugged Shojin tight. "Thank you…Shojin…"Finn fell asleep with Shojin holding her.

Shojin set her on her bed to rest and went back to the desk and his work. "ninety-eight hand signs down…nine-thousand nine-hundred and two to go…"

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AN: short? Yes. Essential? Yes. Released late? Yes. sorry.


	9. Chapter 7: Brother

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters. If I did I would be filthy stinking rich and have no reason to write a fanfic. I do own this story, however. End disclaimer

AN: HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Here it is folks, another exciting Shojin/Shadow encounter. How will it turn out?

Check out Ronan Darksky's fan fiction too! He's working on releasing some new chapters for his Pokemon fanfic.

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**Chapter 7: Brother**

Finn woke up groggy and feeling decidedly weak. The disease had really taken its toll on her lately; she had to struggle to walk around each day. She looked over to her desk and her eyes went wide as she saw the humongous stacks of papers with hand seals depicted on them. "Jeez…does it really take so much effort? ... Where's Shojin?"

Finn looked around the room as she got up. Shojin had been there not too long ago; the pen he had left on the desk was still warm. She looked on the desk and fond a note:

Hey Finn, I went out to get some air and clear my head, don't mess with the papers, they're all in order.

-Shojin

She sighed. "Guess I'll just go hang out with Sakura today."

Shojin stared at the waterfall flowing in front of him. He was at the Valley of End, staring at the waterfall that flowed there. Shojin always came here when he wanted to reflect on something, to clear his head, or to relax. The statue he was on depicted the First Hokage, the one across the river depicted Uchiha Madara. The statues had large craters in them cause by a battle between Naruto and Sasuke years before.

"Well, well. Look who survived." Shojin looked up, not at all surprised to find Shadow standing on the statue opposite him.

Shojin stood up slowly. "Shadow, I underestimated you last time. It won't happen again."

Shadow smirked. "Good. After all, how can I know which of us is stronger if you hold back on me?"

Shojin's face was completely serious as he formed a single hand sign and concentrated. "I won't hold back this time, Shadow. This will be the single toughest battle of your life. Byakusharingan!" His eyes shot open, revealing a Sharingan white in color, and with no center pupil.

Shadow stared at the eye in disbelief. Shojin's ye combination couldn't be physically possible, yet here it was staring him I the face: both the Byakugan and the Sharingan in both eyes. "What the hell is that thing!?" Shadow shouted, his eyes already had their Sharingan activated and were watching him carefully, his fear was becoming visible.

Shojin spoke from behind him. "I hate to repeat myself, Shadow. They're Byakusharingan"

Shadow turned around surprised and attempted to deliver a series of punches to Shojin's face.

Shojin dodged the punches while still talking. "This allows me to utilize the abilities of both the Byakugan and Sharingan at the same time. As an added bonus, the quality of the eye is far better than when each one is used separately. It took me five years to perfect the concentration needed to do this." Shojin caught Shadow's fist and threw him.

Shadow cursed as he flew into a tree. "To think…you had this up your sleeve… maybe I'll have to use… the seal."

Shadow smirked evilly as the seal on his neck glowed and spread across his body. "The Cursed Seal of Divinity, Shojin. A combination of both the Heaven and Earth Seals. Its power is infinite! Yet you, you choose to suppress your seal, contain its power, and weaken yourself. Why, when power is thrown onto you, do you choose to reject it!?"

Shojin frowned. "The power contained in that seal is not my own power. It is tainted chakra created by and evil man, and I will have nothing to do with it! The only time I will ever use that chakra is when it is necessary to protect my important people." Shojin yelled as he rushed towards Shadow.

Shadow flicked him aside effortlessly. "My power or not, it is at my command, and it serves to further my purposes. I do not care what path I take, so long as it leads to my goal: to be the most powerful warrior that ever lived!" "He grabbed Shojin with a bloodthirsty look in his eyes and slammed him into the ground.

"Heh… so your strength had increased… but can you match my speed Shadow? Shojin disappeared.

"What the-" Shadow was cut off as Shojin appeared next to him and struck him a couple of times before disappearing again. Shadow could barely see him appear, much less defend against the hits. "Shit…"

The seal o Shadow's body burned as he forced it to envelop his whole body. His skin grew dark and spiky as the seal completely consumed him. His smirk grew wider, his personality reaching a decidedly demonic level. "Shojin, you fool!"

Shadow grabbed Shojin's arm the next time he appeared. "Your movements…they're so slow… it's like you're not even trying anymore, Shojin!" He slung his body around, smashing him into trees and rocks and punching him every once in a while. "Is this the extent of your puny power? Pathetic!" He threw his body clear across the river and into the statue of the First Hokage.

Shojin got up slowly, his breath starting to falter. "Damn it!" He pulled out several kunai and threw them at Shadow. "Kunai Storm!"

Shadow easily deflected the kunai, which fell all around him. "Really Shojin, such a basic attack can't possibly…" Shadow looked at the kunai and noticed a formula on it. He attempted to move.

Too late. Shojin's Flying Thunder God Technique was too fast, Shojin teleported instantly to any of the kunai he pleased and delivered blows to Shadow's helpless body. Shadow was unable to defend at any point, and was forced to endure the impossibly fast attack as he formulated a plan. Shadow's eyes began changing as his Sharingan progressed into its Mangekyo state.

Shojin smirked and talked as he attacked. "You won't be able to hit me with your Genjutsu, and there's no way you'll hit me with Ameterasu. It's over, Shadow."

Shojin's face changed to shock as he felt the familiar heat on his body. He stopped the jutsu and looked down at his body to find the black flames all over his body. "But…how?"

Shojin looked up in shock at Shadow's body, which was also engulfed in the black flames. "Like it? I call it my Ameterasu Aura. It causes me to be protected by the flames of Ameterasu. The fires are slightly different, as they require me to focus chakra into it, but they work all the same. "

Shojin looked at the flames thoughtfully. "Then I'll have to cut off your chakra."

Shojin took his Hyuuga stance. Shadow recognized it and cursed as Shojin came forward toward him.

Shojin jabbed Shadow twice. "Two palms!" Shadow winced.

"Four palms!" Shadow grunted

"Eight palms!" Shadow grunted in pain

"Sixteen palms!" Shadow grunted in agony

"Thirty-two palms!" Shadow coughed up blood, his internal organs damaged.

"Sixty-four palms!" The fires began to whither

"One-hundred twenty-eight palms!" Shadow flew backwards into the forest, his chakra sealed and the fires gone, he was unable to move as his seal receded. "_Damn you, Shojin_"

Shojin breathed heavily, most of his chakra burnt up from defending against the fires. He turned around and started walking back to Konoha.

"Looks like I'm back on top, brother."

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AN: Good for you, Shojin. Hopefully that was a better fight than the last one. It was longer, at least. Next chapter we'll get to Shojin's thousand-seal jutsu in action.


	10. Chapter 8: The TenThousand Seal Jutsu

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters. If I did I would be filthy stinking rich and have no reason to write a fanfic. I do own this story, however. End disclaimer

AN: Alrighty, then! Here's chapter 8, now let's see that jutsu in action!

* * *

**Chapter 8: The Ten-Thousand Seal Jutsu**

Shojin walked into Konoha with great effort. The people at the gate let him past, shivering as they saw all the blood and wounds on his body. Shojin walked through the streets towards Sakura's house.

Shojin walked in the door to see Finn and Sakura sitting at the table talking. Finn rushed over immediately when she saw his wounds. "What happened?" She asked, examining his wounds.

Shojin winced as she inspected his wounds. "Sparring match with someone. It's nothing." He lied.

Finn looked less than convinced, but decided to let it go. "Well, you should be more careful." She instructed as she began healing his wounds.

She made quick work of the wounds, in ten minutes any evidence of Shojin having been in a battle was gone.

"Thanks, Finn." Shojin said, smiling slightly.

Shojin stood up and went back to his room, then sat down at the desk. "Just write down these last 100 seals…"

A good fifteen minutes later Shojin opened the window to the room and jumped out, papers inside a folder. He took off towards the training grounds.

**At the Training Grounds**

Shojin arrived at the training grounds and looked around. "No one training here at the moment, good"

Shojin took out a paper that had a seal depicted on it, then took out a kunai and began drawing the intricate seal on the ground. It took Shojin a full hour to finish his drawing as he had to make sure it was just right. Then Shojin drew another identical seal about ten meters from the first one.

Shojin took off, looking for Finn. He ran through the streets, weaving in and out of crowds until he spotted the pink-haired kunochi.

"Finn!" Shojin shouted out to her.

Finn turned around to face him and smiled when she recognized the blue-haired shinobi. "Hey Shojin, what's up?"

He stopped in front of her. "Finn, come with me, please."

Finn nodded and followed Shojin as he walked towards the training grounds.

"Sit inside that seal, Finn." Shojin instructed, pointing to the first seal he had created.

Finn nodded and sat down inside the seal. She closed her eyes and waited for further instruction.

Shojin sat down inside the second seal and began gathering chakra. The chakra was so immense that the aura would be clearly visible to anyone who saw it.

Shojin began forming seals slowly, only about eighty per minute. Me made sure each seal was perfect and in the correct order so as not to ruin the jutsu. A full two hours later, he finished the last seal and held it.

The two seals began glowing. Shojin sighed. "I won't lie, Finn. This will hurt."

"Go ahead, Shojin, I'm ready." Finn said as she braced herself.

Shojin nodded and focused the chakra into the seal. Finn cringed in pain as the chakra he had fed into his seal came to hers and forced itself inside her. Shojin continued feeding chakra at a constant and steady rate for an hour before the jutsu was done. He released his hand seal and the two seals stopped glowing. Shojin went over to check on Finn.

Finn had collapsed after the jutsu finished due to exhaustion and was sleeping peacefully. Shojin smiled and picked her up, then carried her back to Sakura's house, where he placed her on her bed gently.

Shojin went to his own room and collapsed on his own bed, his chakra having been expended. He smiled as he drifted off to sleep, relieved that it was all over.

* * *

AN: take one super-complicated jutsu and call us in the morning Finn. 7 hours, jeez. That's a long jutsu, and complicated, but did it work? Find out on the next episode of Dragonball Z! I mean… nevermind. 


	11. Chapter 9: Departure

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters. If I did I would be filthy stinking rich and have no reason to write a fanfic. I do own this story, however. End disclaimer

AN: Alright, people. If you're a big fan of Finn, this might be a sad chapter for you.

* * *

**Chapter 9: Departure**

Finn slowly opened her eyes. Sunlight was spilling in her window onto her face. She smiled as she stretched and got up out of her bed. She was surprised at how easily her body moved; she had more energy than she had had in a while. She finally linked the changes to the jutsu. "I guess it really did work." She remarked as she flexed her arms and legs.

Finn walked out of her room and across the hall to Shojin's. She cracked the door open carefully and looked around. She spotted him on his bed, out like a light. She sighed and silently went to his desk. She picked up a piece of paper and wrote, then left the paper on his desk. "I'm sorry, Shojin." She sighed as she left the room. She walked out of the house and onto the streets.

Finn walked slowly through the streets, looking at all the building and people and the Hokage Monument as she headed for the main gate. Along the way, she spotted Naruto at Ichiraku. That in and of itself wasn't odd. What was odd was that there was a shy-looking girl hiding behind a pole watching him nervously.

Finn walked up behind her. "Watcha doing?"

The girl jumped, startled She turned around to face Finn. "I-I was just…" She blushed bright red.

"You like Naruto, huh?" She said, more of a statement than a question.

The girl nodded her head lightly, still blushing. "I'm Hyuuga Hinata" She said timidly as she glanced at Naruto, who was still obliviously eating ramen.

"Well, don't just sit here in the shadows! You've got to go talk to him!" She said as she tried to direct Hinata towards Naruto.

Hinata gasped and resisted. "I-I can't! I'm sorry!" She apologized as she turned and ran off.

Finn sighed as she continued walking towards the gate. She stopped at the gate and looked up at the sky. "I'm sorry, Shojin. But if I stay here the Mist is sure to follow me."

She was surprised when a voice spoke up behind her. "Sounds like a lousy reason to leave."

Finn turned around, surprised to find Naruto standing there. She brushed his remark off. "It's none of your business, Naruto"

Naruto frowned, not accepting her response. "What's the real reason you're leaving?"

Finn frowned back. "I've already said it. I don't want the Mist to follow me and make trouble in this village."

Naruto shook his head. "Bullshit. The Mist wouldn't march into Konoha and you know it. It'd be suicide. What is the real reason?"

Finn sighed, then noticed Shojin over at Ichiraku. She blushed slightly and turned away, but Naruto wasn't fooled. "Does this have anything to do with Shojin? "

Finn sighed. "I just don't know anymore. No one's ever treated me the way he does. He actually asks me how I am and seems like he-"

"Cares?" Naruto guessed.

Finn nodded. "No one in my village was like that. All they ever say is 'Keep training, you must become stronger, we're counting on you, don't let us down.' Shojin... he's different."

Naruto looked at her quizzically "Finn, do you like Shojin?" This question was me with a blush from Finn. "Thought so. I don't understand, then Finn. Why would you leave? I'm pretty sure Shojin likes you. Why would you want to leave that behind?"

Finn sighed. "I have secrets, Naruto. If he were to find out… he probably wouldn't feel the same way about me."

"Still… if I had a girl who liked me, I'd want to spend all the time I could with her." Naruto said with an oblivious grin.

Finn smiled slightly. "You have at least two girls who like you, Naruto."

Naruto's eyes opened wide "It's Sakura, isn't it? I knew it!"

Naruto began running off, but Finn grabbed him by the neck of his shirt and pulled him back. "Now just wait a minute. Sakura does like you, though she would never admit it, but you don't even care about the second girl, do you? Hyuuga Hinata."

Naruto's eyes grew wide as he processed the information. "Hinata…really?" Naruto thought about it and suddenly all of Hinata's fainting made sense. "Whoa…" Naruto walked away with a dazed look in his eyes.

Finn took one last look at Shojin, then whispered. "Goodbye". A tear fell to the ground as she turned and ran out of the gate and into the forest.

Shojin finished his breakfast and walked back to Sakura's to get ready for the day. He walked into his room and spotted a piece of paper on his desk. "Huh? Odd…" he picked up the paper and his eyes grew wide as he read it.

Shojin

By the time you get up and read this, I will already be long gone. You won't be able to find me, though doubtless you'll try. I'm sorry I had to go, but there is just too much going on right now. I really need to focus on my training as well. I really do appreciate what you've done for me. I hope we will meet again.

-Finn

Shojin immediately got up and rushed out of the house. He looked all over the town, but there was no sign of her. He tracked her scent, but she had cleverly scattered it and covered her real scent. Shojin sighed as he reached the last dead end of scent, the main gate. "She's really gone…" Shojin looked off into the trees.

"I hope we meet again…"

Shojin turned around and walked back home.

* * *

AN: break out the hankies if necessary. Finn has left. I know Naruto was a little more insightful than he would usually be, but he seemed like the best person to make the speech. 


	12. Chapter 10: Chunnin Exams

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters. If I did I would be filthy stinking rich and have no reason to write a fanfic. I do own this story, however. End disclaimer

AN: EVERYBODY CHEER

I'm back after much character development, and ready to start the next section of this fanfic. So sit down in a nice comfy chair, grab a bag of chips and a soda, and enjoy the next chapter of Leaves and Stones!

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**Chapter 10: Chunnin Exams**

_**6 months after the events of Chapter 9: Departure**_

The sun had already risen on the great ninja village of Konohagakure. People were milling about, chatting, buying goods, and running shops. Little children ran around, pretending to be great ninja, fighting each other with their little sticks. Actual ninja, already hard at work, dashed around silently, carrying out their various missions.

Yet amidst all this activity, a single ninja still slumbered. Covers pulled up over his head, only a few strands of his blue hair poked out of his bed. He groaned, trying to block out the noise from the street below that was interrupting his sleep he finally gave up and pulled the covers back down. He sat up and lowered his feet down to the floor, slowly rising up out of bed. As he pulled on his clothes he noticed the clock. "Twelve already? I need to get moving!"

In a blur the ninja ran out of the door. Kyoudai Shojin had begun his day.

Shojin arrived at his first destination of the day, Ichiraku, answering his growling stomach's pleas for food. He was not at all surprised to find Naruto already there, starting on his fifth bowl. "Hey Naruto, what's up?" Shojin asked as he entered and sat down.

Naruto looked up. "Hey Shojin, finally up?" he managed to ask between bites of ramen. "I'm just eating the old man here out of ramen"

"As usual, I suppose" Shojin commented dryly. Suddenly, his eyes twinkled and he got a big smirk on his face. "Hey Naruto.. I bet I can eat more ramen than you." He smirked, waiting for Naruto to take the bait.

He did.

"I accept your challenge!" Naruto roared as he began digging into his bowl. Shojin also got a bowl and began eating. Both ate at amazing rates, noodles flying everywhere and broth spilling all over the place. People passing by stopped to watch in awe of the feeding frenzy. Many people even started placing bets on who would win, both Shojin and Naruto were known by most of the people of Konoha to be able to consume large amounts of ramen. 30 minutes passed, and finally the winner was decided. Naruto lowered his chopsticks, un able to eat another bite. Shojin chuckled and finished both his and Naruto's ramen.

Both ninja patted their stomachs as they left the restaurant. "Leave the bill with Iruka, old man. He'll be along in a second!" Naruto called out.

As they were walking away from the restaurant, Iruka entered it. Everyone in the village could hear his yell of dismay at having to pay for the 1000+ bowls of ramen. Shojin and Naruto just laughed. "When will he learn not to treat us?"

As they were walking, someone put their hand on Shojin's shoulder. His eyes narrowed. Only one group of people would have the audacity to lay their hands on him. "What do you ANBU want with me?"

"So you realized, huh? " The ANBU member chuckled not surprising. Anyways, it's not us, it's the Hokage. She requests your presence."

"Fine, fine" Shojin said as he formed a hand seal and disappeared, leaving the ANBU member dumbfounded. "Must he always do that?" He commented dryly.

Shojin appeared in Tsunade's office, looking somewhat bored. Tsunade looked up, not particularly surprised at his sudden appearance. "Good, you're here." Shojin sat down in the chair in front of Tsunade's desk. Tsunade sat the papers she had been working on down on her desk and turned to Shojin. "Shojin, as you may or may not know, there is a Chunnin exam coming up soon. This year it will be held in Kumogakure. We received a request a few days ago from the Raikage himself. He requests your presence at the Chunnin exams for an exhibition match with him after the Genins finish fighting. We'll send you as a team leader for convenience."

"I assume this is being treated as a mission?" Shojin asked.

Tsunade nodded. "Exactly." She pushed the mission specs towards him. "In there you'll find the info on the two ninja you will be leading to the exams."

Shojin picked up the specs. "And these two ninja are?"

Tsunade smirked. "not a complete team, but you'll be taking Uzumaki Naruto and Itsuhito Hiroku. Both are rather accomplished ninja, so they should be fine as a two man cell."

Shojin looked thoughtfully at the info on Hiroku. "I've heard of Naruto, but I've never met this Itsuhito Hiroku. Who is he?"

Tsunade grabbed his file out of a drawer. "Itsuhito Hiroku: He was found at Konoha's gates by the morning guards around a month or so. He was badly injured, but his wounds look as if they had been treated and he was alive. After he regained consciousness, we asked him how he came to have his injuries. He said that a man with extraordinary powers attacked him when he was unable to provide him with the answer to his question.

"What was the question?" Shojin asked.

"Where is experiment 2,059?" Tsunade answered.

Shojin tensed up, then looked at the ground. That familiar feeling of guilt washed over him. "_Another injured because of me." _He thought.

"Anyway, go meet up with your team, Shojin. Exams are in a month, so you'll need time to get familiar with them and get them ready." Tsunade instructed.

"Understood." Shojin said as he flickered out of the office. He walked around the streets, attempting to find Naruto while he looked through the mission specs. He finally spotted Naruto talking to Hinata. "Naruto!" He called out. Naruto said goodbye to Hinata and came running over. "What's up Shojin?"

Shojin smiled. "Buddy, you're going to the Chunnin exams!" At this Naruto got a depressed look and slumped down. "That's right… I'm still a genin…"

Shojin smiled. "Cheer up! You'll become a Chunnin for sure! I gotta go find your teammate. Meet me at the training grounds in an hour." He instructed as he flickered off.

Shojin arrived at Hiroku's address and knocked on the door. A groggy guy answered. "Yeah? What do you want?" he asked.

Shojin smiled. "Itsuhito Hiroku, right? I'm Kyoudai Shojin. You, along with Uzumaki Naruto will be going with me to the Chunnin exams in about a month."

Hiroku raised his eyebrow. "You competing?" he asked.

"No." Shojin replied. "I'm leading you team." This made Hiroku raise his eyebrow again and he chuckled a little. "You? A Jounin? That's funny."

"Ha-ha." Shojin chuckled. "Never judge a book by its cover. Meet me at training ground number three in a half hour. You need to get acquainted with your teammate."

Hiroku stared in awe at the spot of air where Shojin had just been. "What the- I couldn't even sense what direction he moved in…"

**At the Training Grounds…**

Shojin jumped down from the trees into the clearing. Naruto looked up. "You're late, Shojin." Naruto commented. "You gonna end up being like Kakashi-Sensei?"

"Ahh, get off my back." Shojin said jokingly. "I had to do paperwork and such for the Chunnin exams real quick." Hiroku walked into the clearing, looking slightly bored. "Good, everyone's here." Shojin commented. "Naruto, this is your teammate, Itsuhito Hiroku. Hiroku, this is Uzumaki Naruto. Now, I've called you together today to get acquainted with each other, and to go through an exercise to start preparing you for the exams. What are your specialties?"

"Mostly shadow clones and ninjutsu..." Naruto said, scratching his head.

"I use wind chakra in battle. "Hiroku stated.

"Alright, this first exercise Is really simple. I want you two to fight. Use most of the moves in your arsenal. The main point of this is for the two of you to get familiar with each other's moves so you can work effectively in battle. Don't hold back. GO!"

Naruto immediately charged forward, creating many shadow clones. They went under Hiroku and propelled him into the air, setting up for Naruto's _Naruto Rendan_. However, just before he tried to land the finishing blow, Hiroku smiled and formed a single hand seal._ "Tenkuu Sochi" _Hiroku suddenly stepped out of the way, as if on solid ground. He then elbowed Naruto down into the ground, turning his own move against him. "_Tenkuu Sochi_, it allows me to create "stepping stones" of a sort with wind chakra. Essentially, it allows me to walk on air." Hiroku explained as he smirked down at Naruto.

Naruto descended from above and dealt Hiroku a hard blow to the head, sending him crashing into the ground. "My fist. Sends people who talk too much into the ground." Naruto said, smirking as he landed.

Hiroku wiped his mouth off and smirked. "Not bad. Let's see how well you handle this then!" Hiroku formed a hand seal, and wind chakra gathered in his hands. The chakra began swirling in his hands, then he brought both his hands out in front of him. "_Arashi no Ittou_." Wind chakra shot out from his hands in the shape of crescent blades towards Naruto. Naruto easily sidestepped them. "What are you aiming at buddy?" Naruto's smile disappeared when he felt his back get sliced. The slcices had come back. "What the?"

"Heh. These blades will continue following you until I stop them." Hiroku explained, smirking. "Ready to give up?"

Naruto dodged the blades swiftly, creating shadow clones at strategic points to avoid the blades. When the opportunity presented itself, he used a shadow clone to form _Rasengan_. When the blades came at him, he held _Rasengan_ up at them, reversing their rotation and canceling them out.

Both were about to charge at each other when Shojin held up his hand. "Enough. You are now familiar with some of each other's moves. Now I want you two to work together to come up with combinations. You'll need to be able to combine your skills in the exams. Work on those for now. In a week, I will test you again to see how your teamwork is developing." Shojin said, and let them go. He watched them both walk off, discussing the battle. "Things are gonna get interesting." He said as he stared at the sky.

* * *

_Tenkuu Sochi- _Air Step

_Arashi no Ittou- _Blades of the Storm

AN: OMG FINALLY. I've been so excited to start releasing again. My friend and I have been working on new characters almost all year, and Itsuhito Hiroku is just one of them. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I kinda wonder if one year of AP Lit has done anything for my writing skills. Anywho, reviews would be much appreciated, and will land you on the front of the next chapter.


	13. Chapter 11: The Test of the Two

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters. If I did I would be filthy stinking rich and have no reason to write a fanfic. I do own this story, however. End disclaimer

AN: The next chapter! There were no reviews, so there are no people listed. Such a shame. Anywho, this is a shorter chapter, next chapters may be late coming out as I try to get them just right. Enjoy.

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**Chapter 11: The Test of the Two**

A full week had passed since Naruto and Hiroku began training together and preparing themselves for the Chunnin exams. Meanwhile, Shojin himself had been training for his battle with the Raikage, well known for his power. Shojin was in top form, and eager for the upcoming battle. Today, however, it was time to check on Naruto and Hiroku's progress. When he arrived at the training grounds, Naruto and Hiroku were already there. "You guys ready?" Shojin asked.

Hiroku and Naruto nodded. Shojin smiled. "Good. We'll see just how much you've accomplished in this past week. Your test is fairly simple. Land a hit on me. You have two hours to accomplish this task. You won't be able to do it if you act on your own." Shojin disappeared. Hiroku immediately went into action, feeling the wind currents nearby to sense where Shojin went. "There!" he shouted, shooting a blast of wind at the bush Shojin had hidden himself in. Shojin easily jumped from the bush, evading the blast, and then quickly dealt with Naruto and his shadow clones, who has tried to take advantage of the blast. Naruto hit the ground.. "You guys have to do better. You'll never win at this rate."

Hiroku charged wind chakra in his hands. "Take this! _Arashi no Ittou_!" Hiroku cried as the wind crescents shot from his hands. "Let's see you dodge this, Mr. Jounin." Hiroku said, smirking as the crescents closed in on Shojin."

Shojin closed his eyes. "I believe I told you before not to underestimate me. You'll find I'm full of surprises." Shojin opened his eyes, revealing his activated Sharingan. Shojin's Sharingan analyzed the crescents, allowing him to perform it perfectly. Shojin sidestepped the crescents, then formed wind chakra in his hands, shooting off his own crescents to cancel out Hiroku's.

Hiroku shuddered. "So that's the legendary Sharingan eye of Konohagakure. Able to copy a move as long as the owner has the physical means to perform it. Wouldn't want to face that in a real fight."

"Heh. Noone I've ever fought has liked it." Shojin commented from behind Hiroku. Hiroku's eyes widened and he raised his arm up, just barely blocking Shojin's elbow. "Good, your reflexes are sound."

An hour passed, and neither Hiroku nor Naruto were able to land a hit. Shojin sighed as he blocked punches from a batch of shadow clones. "I'm not convinced you guys have learned to work together well, based on how many times your attacks have messed up or injured each other. Your teamwork is lacking."

Naruto panted. "He's right, Hiroku."

Hiroku smirked. "I have an idea, Naruto. Come here." Shojin watched them and smiled. "Let's see what they come up with…" Naruto and Hiroku finished talking, and Naruto made shadow clones, then rushed forward towards Shojin. "Come on guys, I've beaten down Naruto's clones before. What makes you think this will be different?" Shojin's eyes widened when he noticed Hiroku had disappeared in the crowd of Narutos. "Where is he…"

Shojin beat down the oncoming clones, and they began disappearing, until suddenly Shojin found he was unable to move. "What?" Shojin began, until he figured out what was hindering him. Wind chakra. He looked at one Naruto that was holding a seal. It smirked as it transformed back into Hiroku. "Got you now, Shojin. You're inside my _Kaze Kongoku_. A prison made completely of wind chakra. Hiding myself in Naruto's shadow clones was relatively easy, a simple transformation and I seemed to disappear. Now, this test is over." Hiroku said, smirking "_Katsu_!" The prison swirled and closed in on Shojin, tearing into him with wind blades. Naruto's clones closed in on Shojin and kicked him into the air. "U-zu-ma-ki Naruto Redan!" They shouted as they pounded Shojin into the ground.

Shojin got up and wiped his mouth. "Very nice guys. That attack was well coordinated and very smart. A great combination for something you made up on the fly. A little rough, but you guys managed to form a combination attack that even I could not defend against. You're ready for the team portion of the exams. I'll give you guys the next two weeks to train on your individual fighting skills before we set out. It'll be a long journey to Kumogakure."

Shojin waved at Naruto and Hiroku, who went off to their homes to rest, weary from the fight. Shojin headed to his own personal training spot to continue preparing for his fight. "The Raikage… I wonder just how tough he is…"

* * *

_Kaze Kongoku- _Wind Prison

_Katsu- _Rip

AN: Yes, it's short. SORRY. I wrote this over half a year ago, and now I have to modify it as I write. So it's a little longer than when I originally wrote it. Anywho, I'm babbling. Thanks for reading. Reviewers have my eternal love and a spot on the front of the next chapter.


	14. Chapter 12: Hiroku's Past

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters. If I did I would be filthy stinking rich and have no reason to write a fanfic. I do own this story, however. End disclaimer

AN: Alrighty. Decided to release today (seeing as how I neglected to release for a couple of weeks, sorry!). I actually fabricated this chapter off the top of my head, deviating from my story I've already written on paper. Enjoy!

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**Chapter 12: Hiroku's Past**

Hiroku rose up early on the day he was to depart for the Chunnin exams. The name of the village it was to take place in echoed in his head. Kumogakure: The Village Hidden in the Clouds. He sighed and looked at a plain blue headband that sat on his desk

**One Year Earlier**

"Mikon! Come on, I want to show you something!" Hiroku yelled at his blonde-haired friend. The kid smiled and ran after Hiroku, barely able to match his friend's pace. Hirameku Mikon had never been really fast, and the fact that his friend Hiroku used his wind chakra to make himself faster didn't make things easier. He finally caught up to his friend when he had stopped. They were at the third training ground of the village.

Hiroku jumped up high and checked the area to make sure no one was nearby. Satisfied that the coast was clear, he landed and smiled at Mikon. "I have just created a new technique that will blow you away!" he said, a triumphant look on his face. "Watch."

Hiroku began gathering wind chakra in his hands. The whitish chakra swirled around his body as it began to increase in intensity, until Hiroku seemed to be completely enveloped in swirling winds. He breathed deeply, then brought both hands out in front of his body. He formed a single hand seal: Dragon.

"_Nenten Ryuu_"

The reaction was instantaneous. The wind chakra shot forward in a tight spiral, with plenty of destructive power to bust a nearby boulder and subsequently destroy the remnants of it as they flew through the air. The chakra contained at the "head" of the blast was so intense that it seemed to glow.

Mikon fell to his knees, staring at the awesome spectacle. He couldn't believe it. Hiroku was merely a Chunnin, yet he had created a technique that could be considered on a Jounin or even Kage level. Mikon had to shield his eyes because the winds from the technique were too intense.

Hiroku smiled, glad that his friend was so impressed with his new technique. "That's not all, either!" He smiled and decided to go ahead and perform the next part of the technique, despite his inexperience with it. Hiroku formed a few seals, and the technique changed direction. It twisted about the training grounds, felling trees and whatever else Hiroku aimed it at. Mikon was once more surprised, and Hiroku grinned even wider.

Hiroku's merriment did not last long, however. His eyes went wide as the technique suddenly gained more strength, widening. He tried to gain control over it, but the winds grew so strong that they spiraled out of his control. Hiroku tried desperately to gain control of his attack.

It was too late

The technique shot forward, towards Hiroku's best friend. Mikon stared in horror at the twisting mass of destruction that was now shooting towards him. Clumsily, he tried to form hand seals for a technique his father had taught him, but his speed again betrayed him. The winds struck him a direct blow, ripping him up. Hiroku could only watch in horror as his own attack destroyed his friend. The winds then shot up into the sky, launching Mikon's body off into the distance.

Blood rained from the sky.

Hiroku felt his face and his hand came back with blood on it. His friend's blood. Tears welled in his eyes at the realization of what had just happened: he had killed his best friend. Hiroku turned and ran from the training grounds.

Hiroku was given three days to prepare for his departure. He took this time to say goodbye to friends, pick up his things, apologize a thousand times over to Mikon's parents, and, most importantly, visit his friend in the hospital. He knew Mikon would not make it. No one knew better than he the destructive power of his technique.

On the day of his departure, Hiroku's father handed him a single gift. A blueprint. It was for his latest project, called Project Thantos. Hiroku's father, aware of his son's talents with wind chakra, asked him to complete it.

Hiroku waved goodbye to his parents as he set off. As soon as he exited the village, he ripped his village's seal off of his headband, leaving only a blue cloth. He left the metal plate on the ground as he set off.

**Present Day**

"I have to return to that village… how will I face them?" Hiroku wondered out loud, and then shook himself out of his stupor. "I have to get ready. We're supposed to leave soon." Hiroku pulled on his clothes and tied his new Konohagakure forehead protector.

Hiroku ran across the town, trying to reach the front gate in time. As he neared the academy, however, he decided to see what one of the classes were up to.

**In Iruka's Class**

"Aoihana!" Iruka called out. "Your turn!"

The small Hyuuga girl nodded and came up to the front of the classroom, then formed a hand seal. "Transform!" A quick puff of smoke, and she was a perfect copy of Iruka.

"Nicely done." Iruka said as he dismissed her back to her seat. "Mayu, you're up."

The little girl smirked slightly as she skipped to the front of the classroom. She formed the hand seal for transformation but instead of Iruka, she transformed into an older version of herself, decked out in a miniskirt and a very tight top.

**Outside the Academy**

Hiroku peeked inside the window to see the transformed Mayu. He smirked at the chance and decided to take it. A few hand seals was all he needed to direct the wind and make Mayu's skirt fly up. "Success!" he cried as he flew back with a nosebleed.

**At the Village Gates**

Shojin and Naruto sat, waiting for Hiroku. He finally showed up, a full half hour late. "Better late than never, I suppose." Shojin commented as he stood up. "Let's get going. The group headed out the gates and towards Kumogakure.

* * *

_Nenten Ryuu – _Twisting Dragon

AN: so this chapter was halfway fabricated. And the last part was meant to lighten the mood, since this chapter is a little depressing. Anywho, leave a review, and I luff you forevers and stuffs.


	15. Chapter 13: Project Thanatos

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters. If I did I would be filthy stinking rich and have no reason to write a fanfic. I do own this story, however. End disclaimer

AN: Alrighty. Decided to release today (seeing as how I neglected to release for a couple of weeks, sorry!). I actually fabricated this chapter off the top of my head, deviating from my story I've already written on paper. i've decided i definitely owe you guyssome chapters, so i'm going to try and release them ahead of schedule...which is all messed up O.o

* * *

**Chapter 13: Project Thantos**

"Shojin, we should stop for the night."

Shojin turned back to Naruto and nodded. "Good idea. You guys will need to be well rested when we arrive in Kumogakure tomorrow." Shojin stopped and began unpacking the camping equipment.

Hiroku silently walked away from the camp as Naruto and Shojin continued setting up. Once he was far enough away, he set down his pack and began taking items out of it, setting them on the ground. "It's time for your project to be completed, father…" he removed the scroll that his father had given him from the pack and opened it up.

For hours, Hiroku worked at the project, refusing to stop to sleep until it was finally done. "it must be finished…before I return to that village."

Finally, Hiroku was done. He looked at the creation that had finally been completed. It resembled a simple pole, though it was hollowed out. It was made of a special type of wood that was able to store chakra put into it. Hiroku smiled as he looked at it. "Stage one of Project Thanatos is complete."

Evil laughter echoed through the forest. Hiroku stood up quickly and looked around, gripping Thanatos in his hands. "Who's there?"

"Heh heh heh… what's that you have there? A pole?" the voice mocked as it grew closer.

Hiroku faced the direction of the voice. "Heh. Don't underestimate Thanatos here. It's more powerful than you could imagine."

"We'll see about that." The voice commented from behind him. Hiroku's eyes went wide and he turned around to find a red-haired man in front of him. "Who the hell are you?" Hiroku demanded as he pointed Thanatos at the man

The man's mouth curved upward in a sinister grin. "Heh heh heh… it is unimportant that you know my name, since you will die here...but very well. I am…Kyoudai Shadow." He said, grinning evilly as he walked towards Hiroku.

Hiroku quickly dashed forward, raising Thanatos to attack Shadow. Shadow smirked and grabbed Thanatos, throwing it and Hiroku towards a tree. Hiroku easily stopped himself with _Tenkuu Sochi_, then looked around for Shadow. He was nowhere to be seen. "What the hell…" Hiroku quickly turned around and raised Thanatos up to block Shadow's attack. Shadow stared at him with his Sharingan, still smiling. "Not bad. You may actually be worth fighting!" Shadow jumped back and formed handsigns. "_Katon! __Goukakyuu no Jutsu!_" Shadow shot a huge fireball at Hiroku. Hiroku grinned and spun Thanatos, which absorded the justu completely. "Now, feel the pain of your ignorance. _Kaeru_!" Thanatos glowed red and shot Shadow's attack right back at him. Shadow's eyes went wide, but he was able to dodge the blast. He turned back to face Hiroku just soon enough to see Thanatos come smashing into his face. "Urg! You little worm!" Shadow spat, but before he could counter, Hiroku was upon him, and landed a solid uppercut. Shadow flew upward, the Hiroku performed a back flip, kicking Shadow up even higher as he did. "_Tenkuu Sochi_!" Hiroku ran up above Shadow and stopped right above him, with the red haired ninja headed straight for him. "Now, _Hisan Mangetsu_!" Hiroku shot downward towards Shadow, propelled by his wind chakra. Shadow flew into the ground, creating a huge crater. Hiroku landed gracefully on the ground by the crater. "That was my _Shippu Kujiku_. Now do you see that you shouldn't have messed with me?"

As Hiroku began to walk away, he felt something was wrong. He turned around and found himself face to face, eye to eye with Shadow's Mangekyou Sharingan. Hiroku suddenly felt odd, and the world around him began to change colors. He noticed right away that something was wrong: the were thousands of Shadows all around him, all bearing the Mangekyou Sharingan. "Wha-What is this?" Hiroku asked.

"_Tsukuyomi_. This is my own little world. I will torture you here, for 72 hours. And when it's all over…only a second of your worthless life will have passed in the real world." Shadow smirked at Hiroku. "Welcome to Hell, worm."

Hiroku slumped to the ground, his mind battered by Shadow's technique. Shadow wiped the blood from his eye. "I'll spare your life, little worm." He commented, spitting on the ground in front of him, and then walking off into the forest.

* * *

_Tenkuu Sochi_ – Air Step

_Kaeru_ – to Return

_Hisan Mangetsu – _Flying Moon

_Shippu Kujiku_- Huricane Crush

_Nenten Ryuu – _Twisting Dragon

AN: O.o Short? Kinda. I actually had a pretty thick paragraph as opposed to my one or two line fragments. Maybe that accounts for it. Or maybe its just not long. Regardless, this is the next chapter, and it's done.


	16. Chapter 14: Shojin Vs Shadow

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters. If I did I would be filthy stinking rich and have no reason to write a fanfic. I do own this story, however. End disclaimer

AN: oh, I know. It's been…forever. I felt like updating. Enjoy.

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**Chapter 14: Shojin Vs Shadow**

Shojin's ears perked up and he jumped up, wide awake. He could've sworn he had heard a scream. He quickly looked around and noticed Hiroku missing. He quickly dressed and armed himself, then tried to rouse Naruto, who was muttering something about ramen. "Naruto" he nudged him. "Naruto!" he shouted a little louder. The blonde-haired ninja slept on.

Shojin sighed, then formed hand signs and smirked. _Suiton: Nami Shindou no Jutsu! _A wave erupted from Shojin and crashed into Naruto, awaking and confusing him as it swept him up off the ground. "Shojin, what the hell?" Naruto gurgled as the wave settled down.

"Get dressed Naruto. I think something's happened to Hiroku." Naruto's eyes widened and he quickly got dressed and followed Shojin into the woods.

It didn't take long to find him. Hiroku was lying on the ground, breathing heavily, his eyes staring upward, transfixed. A staff lay by his side, something Shojin had noticed him fiddling with earlier. "Oh hell." Shojin cursed, recognizing the effects of Shadow's technique. "This is the work of Shadow"

"So you know my work. I'm so flattered, brother." Shadow's laughter echoed as he stepped into the clearing. "So you actually knew this worm. He put up a good fight, but in the end, he was no match for my power." Shadow smirked, activating his Sharingan.

"Not here, Shadow." Shojin pleaded. "A battle here would cause too much destruction."

Shadow laughed. "Like I give a fuck."

Shojin narrowed his eyes. "Naruto, take Hiroku and that staff and get far away from here." He commanded.

"But-" Naruto began to protest

"GO!" Shojin commanded as he turned to Naruto, his Byakugan already activated. Naruto gulped and nodded, picking up the paralyzed Hiroku and carrying him off.

Shadow smirked "Oh no you don't." he shot forward towards the fleeing Naruto, but was blocked by Shojin's fist crashing into his face. "Now, now. Stay focused, Shadow. Otherwise you'll get hurt." Shojin glared at Shadow, red chakra swirling around him.

"Don't look down on me just because you got lucky last time!" Shadow roared as he charged at Shojin. Shojin's eyes widened and he quickly raised his arms to block Shadow's charge, but to no avail. Shadow's fist sunk into his stomach and Shojin went flying into a nearby tree. Shojin groaned. "When the hell…did you get that fast without the seal?"

Shadow smirked. "I'm not. I have, however, gained more control over my seal." Shadow demonstrated by letting the seal completely envelop his legs, but nothing else, then disappeared, appearing in front of Shojin. "Face it, Shojin. I am the better fighter." He smirked and brought his hand back to finish him.

_Kaiten! _Shojin quickly spun, sending Shadow flying. "I'll admit, that caught me off guard, but don't think it means you've won." Shojin glared at him.

"Oh, but it does, Shojin. I lost our last battle because I allowed the seal to control my mind. But now that I control it, ill have a clear head and all the powers of the Cursed Seal of Divinity." Shadow jumped forward at Shojin, laughing evilly. Shojin barely parried the blow, and then jumped into the air, throwing a rain of kunai down at Shadow. "Here goes!" Shojin shouted, forming hand signs. Shadow glanced at the kunai and at once knew what was happening. Before he could react, Shojin's Flying Thunder God technique was flying. Shadow realized, however, he could slightly track Shojin's movements. He smirked and grabbed one of Shojin's kicks, sending him flying. Shojin's eyes went wide as he was flung, but he landed gracefully on a tree. Shojin cursed silently, activating his Byakusharingan.

"That won't help you, Shojin." Shadow said, laughing as he activated his Mangekyo Sharingan. His laugher stopped dead, however, when he looked at Shojin's Byakusharingan. His Sharingan deactivated, his seal receded, he felt weak. "What the hell…are you doing to me?"

Shojin's expression did not change. "This is my Genjutsu, _Jimetsu_ I use the Byakusharingan to cause your mind to close off your own chakra points. Essentially, you destroy yourself." Blood ran from Shojin's eyes as he closed them, deactivating the Byakusharingan. Shadow fell to the ground, unable to move any part of his body. Shojin opened his eyes, unable now to see. "Naruto. Take me back to camp." He commanded. The blonde ninja appeared and helped Shojin find his way back to camp.

Shadow stared at the ground in front of him. "He…beat me again…"

* * *

Suiton: Nami Shindou no Jutsu- Water Release: Wave Impact Technique

Jimetsu- Destroying oneself

AN: Woot. First chapter release in a while. I'm not going to promise regular releases anymore.


	17. Chapter 15: Kumogakure

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters. If I did I would be filthy stinking rich and have no reason to write a fanfic. I do own this story, however. End disclaimer.

AN: NEW. CHAPPY. Yeah, I'm writing a new chapter. Yeah, It's been nearly 2 years. I'm busy, sue me.

* * *

**Chapter 15: Kumogakure**

The sun was just rising over the trees when Shojin finally finished tending to Hiroku's injuries. "To think he ate a _Tsukuyomi_…he's tougher than I thought." He said, smiling down at the young ninja. Shojin's eyesight had returned an hour after it left, the effect of using his Byakusharingan.

Hiroku stirred, slowly opening his eyes and looking around. "Ugh…where'd he go?" He asked, trying to sit up, and failing.

Shojin pushed him back down. "No getting up yet. I need to restore some of your chakra first. Shadow totally drained you with that attack." He said, a green glow coming from the hand resting on Hiroku.

Hiroku's eyes shot wide open with realization. "Thanatos! My staff! Did you get it?" he asked, looking frantically around.

Naruto stepped out from the trees, the staff in his hands. "No sweat. I found it by you where you collapsed. Strange thing though." He said, setting it down near Hiroku.

Hiroku breathed a sigh of relief, and reached out to grasp the staff. "I'll have to begin Stage Two of Project Thanatos after I've recovered…" he said as he drifted off to sleep.

Shojin sighed and removed his hand. "Alright, let's give him a few hours. He should be able to move after that, and we can head on to Kumogakure." Shojin stood and stretched, stiff from the hours he had spent tending to Hiroku.

"Hey, Shojin. What was that jutsu you used on Shadow?" Naruto asked, looking at the blue-haired ninja curiously.

Shojin smiled at the curiosity. "_Jimetsu_…I just perfected it about a month ago. It's a very powerful Genjutsu, comparable in power to _Tsukuyomi_. It causes the victim's mind to shut off their own chakra points, effectively disabling them. It's not perfect yet, however. I can only close about half their points before the strain is too much and I have to deactivate Byakusharingan. It's a finishing move, because after using it, i'm rendered blind for a while." Shojin reached his hand up to his eye, feeling where the blood had poured out earlier.

"Jeez. I'm glad you're on our side." Naruto commented.

Several hours passed, the two ninja used the time to rest up as Hiroku was, to prepare for the rest of their trip.

Hiroku stirred, finally feeling recovered. He sat up and looked down at his hand. Thanatos was there. He smiled down at the staff. Years of work had finally been completed. "I'll begin Stage Two on the way to Kumogakure…" He mused to himself, standing to his feet. He walked over to Shojin and Naruto, lightly kicking the two in order to rouse them.

Shojin yawned and sat up. "Ah, Hiroku. Guess you're all better." He smiled sheepishly. "Then, shall we head on to Kumogakure?"

Hiroku nodded, and helped Naruto and Shojin pack up the camp so they could leave. The group moved quickly from the camp site, quickly reaching the base of the mountains where Kumogakure was built. Shojin stopped at the base of the mountains and began searching his bag for the map. "We have to be careful to follow the right path to the village so we don't get lost."

Hiroku stepped towards the mountains. "Just follow me." He said, heading up into the mountains quickly. Shojin looked after him with a puzzled look, but quickly followed him, with Naruto not far behind.

Hiroku expertly navigated the mountainous terrain, getting happier the close he came to his former home. It wasn't long before the group spied the buildings of Kumogakure in the mountains.

Before they could arrive, a figure jumped down from a nearby cliff, blocking their path. The figure wore a long black cloak, their face wrapped up in black cloth except for their eyes.

Hiroku readied his staff and Shojin activated his Sharingan, ready for battle. The figure held up a hand, however, laughing slightly. "Calm down. I'm not here to fight. I merely need to relay a message to you." The figure said, pointing directly at Shojin.

Shojin relaxed slightly, deactivating his Sharingan. "Alright. What's the message?" he asked, looking at the figure quizzically.

"Not here. Privately." The figure narrowed its eyes at the other two ninja and pointed in a direction away from them.

Shojin raised an eyebrow. "Alright. Naruto, Hiroku, hang here for a second." Shojin said as he followed the figure off to a more private area.

The figure lead him a good distance away, then stopped. "I've come to warn you. Orochimaru has not ceased his experiments in the absence of you and your brother. Currently, he's working on a new project." The figure narrowed its eyes at Shojin. "I don't know if he'll be successful, but I felt I should warn you. If it does succeed, your life will likely be in danger. Be careful."

Shojin stared at the figure with an incredibly confused look "Excuse me, but…who are you? How do you know so much about me?" He took a step towards the figure.

"Don't you worry about that, Shojin" the figure laughed. It formed a hand seal and suddenly disappeared.

"A shadow clone…" Shojin noted, staring at the space where the figure had been seconds before. Shojin shook his head and walked back over to Hiroku and Naruto

"That guy say anything interesting?" Hiroku asked, looking at Shojin's puzzled face.

"It's nothing. Don't worry about it." Shojin said, motioning to the road. "Let's head on to Kumogakure.

Hiroku and Naruto exchanged looks with each other and shrugged, following Shojin as they neared the gate to Kumogakure

* * *

AN: Ah, setup chapters. I hate writing em. Hopefully I can write in some real action next chapter =]


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